Zatanna
Biography Early Life Born in Los Angeles, California, Zatanna was given the birth name of Camilla Alvarez. She was born on October 28th. Her father had passed away shortly after she was conceived, killed in a car accident. Camilla was raised by her mother, Helena, and by members of her mother's family, namely her uncle Albert, whose wife had passed on some time ago, and his two children. She was an only child and so the only "siblings" she had were her cousins. She grew up in this environment and as she got older, she was content, not particularly needing a father. She had a father figure in her uncle and for her that was enough. For Camilla, she had plenty of friends in her school in the form of her two cousins. As she grew up, she progressed well through school and displayed an aptitude for English Literature and history. She really enjoyed the two subjects as one taught a person the multitude of ways that a person could express a thought or an idea, and the other taught a person about the people who had come before him or her, and it was always good to understand what other people had done and had gone through in order to apply those lessons to a person's own life. Camilla also excelled in sports, particularly soccer and field hockey. Around the time when she was twelve, she expressed an interest in knowing who her father was. She had never met the man and she wanted to know what he had been like. Her mother had rarely mentioned him, and her uncles and aunts hadn't spoken on him much either. She didn't understand why and she wanted to know more about her father. It had taken her a while to break down their resolve in keeping the information hidden, especially since they couldn't properly explain to her why they wanted to keep her father's identity and information about him hidden. She found out something incredible that started her down her life's journey. Her father, and by extension, her, was a member of the species known as Homo Magi. Her mother was as well, and so was her uncle. They had kept themselves hidden and neither of her two cousins knew either. Her mother swore her to secrecy. Camilla asked if she would be able to learn magic and sorcery. Her mother was extremely hesitant to teach her, as apparently the family had enemies in various groups of magic users throughout the world. But her uncle felt as though Camilla needed to be prepared in case something happened and he decided that he would teach her. He gave her all of her father's old belongings and equipment. She found out that her father had been trained by the famous Zatanna and even more importantly before that, by Zatanna's father and that he had been an incredibly powerful sorcerer. Camilla began to read her father's old journals and writings, thrilled, because this was a combination of two of her favorite subjects While she didn't view her father's journals as fictional literature, they did have a sense of the fantastic to her, because she had just been introduced to the idea of magic and what it could do. She devoured everything that her father had written about his life and learned a great deal about him, gaining a kinship that wasn't exactly like most father and daughter relationships, but one that made her have a strong bond and sense of familial love to the man that she had never met, but who had helped shape her in so many ways, more than she really knew. With this in her mind and more importantly, in her blood, Camilla set out to learn everything that she could about magic and sorcery. She wanted to make her mother proud and honor her father's legacy. She also wanted to be prepared, in case any of the family's enemies found them and decided that they were going to hurt them. Her decision wouldn't come at a sooner time. Trials and Tribulations A few months after she had made this decision, Camilla had already learned a great deal. She had mastered more than a few of the basic spells in the books that her family had given to her and her uncle Carlos was definitely proud of what she had accomplished. He was also a little surprised, having not thought that she would take to magic that quickly. He had recognized her aptitude for the subject and had realized that she would be a great sorcerer down the road, but he had thought that it would take her time to truly master her craft and come into her own. He didn't think that it would have started so soon. Carlos began to personally instruct her whenever he had the time, to teach her not just how to craft a spell, but how to control it, how to add a finesse to it that would enable her spells to be stronger and more fluid. Camilla took to the lessons very well, but before she was really able to get into her studies in the magical world, her family was attacked. One of the family's enemies had been tracking them for years and had finally found them in Los Angeles. Camilla knew that she was not prepared for the fight that was going to be coming next, but she did know that she needed to do something. She needed to protect her family the best way that she knew how. She was only thirteen and was preparing for war. Around this point in time she found out about another secret of her family's. Her father had not died in a car accident. He had died during a duel stopping an evil sorceress from completing a plan to enslave a town in Colombia. The group of people who had found them were actually people who had been loyal to the sorceress and had been seeking revenge for all these years. When the group of her family's enemies reached Los Angeles, they found that many of Camilla's family had already relocated elsewhere. Some of the members had stayed behind though, some finishing the move, others staying to fight. Camilla's uncle Carlos was amongst those who had stayed. He was going to fight, to kill those who he could to safeguard his relatives. Camilla had wanted to stay with him, but he had refused to allow her, sending her, along with her mother on one of the last of the family's car trips to New York City. Carlos put up a good fight, taking down many of the group that was sent after him. In the end, it was the sheer numbers that brought him down. He was the last to be killed, but he was kept alive, not murdered immediately. The group knew that he was one of the leaders at the forefront of Camilla's extended family, and so they knew that he would have information on where exactly they had all been sent. He refused to give the information up, despite enduring incredibly painful torture. He knew that the safety of the family depended on his ability to not give in. Unfortunately, the torture grew to such a point where he eventually talked, out of desperation. He tried his best to fabricate the truth. The family had indeed split up like he told the group. Some headed north to Seattle, Washington, while others had gone to Indianapolis, Indiana. Still others had traveled to Miami, Florida, and some had gone to San Antonio, Texas and south of the United States border. The group was able to see through some of his lies and killed him after reports came back that his statement that some of the family had traveled to Denver, Colorado were false. They began tracking the family members once more and were able to get onto the trail of Camilla and her mother. Camilla's mother was warned of what was happening and decided that she would buy her daughter some time. She bought Camilla a bus ticket all the way to Maine, but told her to get off some time before that. She advised her to avoid a big city, unless it was incredibly easy to blend in. She knew that the big cities were where the group would look first. She also advised her daughter to stay away from New York City. While they had been traveling towards New York City, it had never been their actual destination. She made Camilla promise her that she wouldn't come back for her, no matter what she read or heard. After Camilla promised, her mother saw her off and stayed behind, in Pittsburgh, to fight. It was the last time Camilla would see her mother, as she was killed a few days later. A New Life Camilla had learned about the New York City area when she had been in school. The whole idea of the tristate area had fascinated her. It had made her want to learn more about it, so she had read up on it. Los Angeles was somewhat metropolitan, but not as metropolitan as New York. At the tender age of thirteen, Camilla was all on her own. She decided to follow her mother's advice, at least part of it. She opted to stay in a metropolitan area, feeling that the safety in numbers would be better for her. But, she decided to stay in a metropolitan area that was close to an incredibly large one. One of the largest in the world, in fact. She got off the bus and didn't get back on when she reached Atlantic City. Camilla had heard a lot about Atlantic City. She knew that someone with her abilities, her talents in magic, would be able to go far. It was something that the famous Zatanna had done. If it had been good enough for her, it was good enough for Camilla. Once she got off the bus in Atlantic City, she knew that the first thing that she needed to do was find a place to live. She wasn't sure how exactly she was going to pull that off though. She only had a limited amount of money, and she was only thirteen years old. She couldn't just go and rent an apartment or anything like that. While she had access to her mother's ID and things like that, she couldn't just very well break the law. But then she was reminded of the fact that she had magic on her side. Camilla didn't want to abuse her gifts, but she decided that if it was to help her get situated and survive, then it was an okay use of her abilities. She was quickly able to find herself a place to live. It wasn't anything fancy, but it got the job done. From there, she knew that she needed some kind of job in order to make money. But she wasn't sure what she would do. She knew that she could do some kind of a magic show, but that it would be hard considering she was trying to stay low key. Camilla also knew that she didn't need a huge amount of money, just enough to pay for her small bills and to stash some aside in case something ever happened. She had been raised by her mother to always save something of everything. Another problem that Camilla knew she was going to have to face was that she needed to be put into the public school system, and she needed parents and parental signatures. She wanted to try to stay out of the system, but she knew that if she was caught for anything, she would be placed into the system. So she had to do her best to stay low key, and she knew that she was going to have to rely on her ability to use magic for a lot of it. She had a large portion of her family's books on spells and magic, and she possessed all of her father's old belongings. She wasn't sure that she would be able to teach herself, but she was going to do the best that she could. She started performing in a few shows after wowing a local promoter. Camilla made sure that the shows were small time. During the course of the shows, she was able to practice her magic and get better at casting the simpler spells, giving her the ability and confidence to work on more dangerous and more complicated ones in the privacy of her own home. Her luck turned into her favor though. Two years or so into coming to Atlantic City, when she was fourteen, she met a man by the name of Noel Gabriele. He was an experienced magician, also a Homo Magi. He took her under his wing, and continued her education in the magical arts. When he took stock of her abilities, he was summarily impressed by her potential, but she was proud of the fact that he had said that she had done exceptionally well to further her learning considering she didn't have a mentor. Noel became like a second father, because to Camilla, the man who had been her father had been her mother's brother, Carlos. Lightning Strikes Twice By the time Camilla had turned eighteen, she had grown and learnt a great deal about magic. She had been taught almost everything that Noel knew, and she had mastered a number of her father's old spells. She was ready to strike out on her own and be independent. Noel had seen this day coming and had prepared for her a going away gift of sorts. He had in his possession the wand that Zatanna would use when she was casting her magic. While they both knew that the wand itself held no power, it was a symbol, and a powerful one at that. Camilla understood what Noel was trying to tell her. She was to be like Zatanna. She decided that she was going to fight evil wherever she could find it, and that she was going to use the name Zatanna as an homage to the woman who had come before her. Camilla struck out on her own, with the intent of making a name for herself. Noel knew a bunch of different people in show business and he got in touch with a man who had been his stage manager at one point. He told him about Camilla and that she had an impressive show planned, but that she needed the backing and the expertise of different people. The stage manager was more than willing to help her out. Camilla put together her act and began to move around the country, performing on stage as Zatanna Reborn. She watched tapes of Zatanna's act and made sure to incorporate various elements of the show without outright plagiarizing. She wanted to pay homage, but she didn't want to blatantly copy and she didn't want people saying that she had done so either. She wanted to bring her own vision to the performance. Starting small, she began to play the casinos in Atlantic City, since she already knew a large number of the people in management there. Camilla worked hard to make a name for herself, in the performing aspect. She had done a great deal already, but now she was a main eventer. At first, good reviews were a little few and far between, as Camilla hadn't really been the main showcase and it was her first time really being the star of the show. Slowly, she grew into her own, and was able to start performing better and better. Soon, she was able to take her show on the road. As she traveled around the country, she was put into contact with people that Noel knew. Many of these people worked within the police departments of the cities that she visited and they would utilize her help when she was in the area. While she longed for problems that would truly challenge her, she didn't mind helping out where she could. At one stop on her show, a few years into traveling on the road, she found herself in Gotham City. In attendance at one of her shows was Isaiah Muir, who introduced himself after the show. They met and hit it off rather well, becoming good friends, at least to Camilla. She spent time at Wayne Manor when she was in town from then on. People in Hell Want Ice Water Too... As she got more and more famous, she was able to travel around the world and do larger and larger shows. In addition, Camilla was also able to help Noel in his constant battle against Oriuth. Noel eventually told her more about the man and that he had been responsible for some of the harm that had come to her and her family over the years. She fought Oriuth in Egypt and in other places around the world, tracking him and trying to bring him down. As she did, she built up allies and different contacts. One of those contacts gave her the address for Shadowcrest, Zatanna’s house. It took some tracking down, as the house had recused itself from the physical realm after the death of Zatanna Zatara. But Camilla was able to find it, on the astral plane and bring it back to the physical realm. Moving into the house, she found all of her predecessor’s old books and documents, including suspicions that Bruce Wayne was Batman. Since a lot of the behavior matched up to how Isaiah behaved, Camilla started to suspect as well, that Isaiah was the new Batman. Around this time, Zatanna received a peculiar package in the mail. It was a piece of a red cloak, and when she did testing on it to get more information, she found out that there was powerful magic in it. Bringing it to Noel, she found out that it was a piece of the cloak of Stephen Strange, the former Sorcerer Supreme. It even had his blood and DNA imprinted on it. Noel Gabriele asked her to meet with an associate of his, Donovan, in Italy, though the man didn’t know that she was coming. He said that Donovan would have more knowledge of what was going on. More Coming Soon Powers Sorcery: Camilla is a homo magi, a human born with the affinity to manipulate magic. Her unique genetic structure allows her to use the magic she was born with as well as learned magic. Camilla has a vast knowledge of sorcerous spells and incantations invoking the names and aspects of various extra-dimensional objects and beings of power. Camilla is one of the most powerful Soreceresses on earth. *''Elemental Sorcery: With her magic Camilla has shown a great affinity to manipulate the elements of the Earth. :*Pyrokinesis: Generation and Control of fire :*Aerokinesis: Generation and Control of Air :*Geokinesis: Generation and Control of Earth/Rock :*Hydrokinesis: Generation and Control of Water :*Cryokinesis: Generation and Control of Ice :*Weather Manipulation: ''She can control the weather to change depending on her mood. *'Telepathy': Camilla can use her magic to manipulate the minds of others. She has displayed the following abilities. :*''Read Minds '' Camilla can use her magic to read the minds of those around her. Generally speaking she needs to be able to see the person in question, though if she knows the person is nearby she can still read their mind. :*''Memory Manipulation: She is able to wipe minds completely and/or remove specific memories. *Chlorokinesis: Camilla has control over plants. *Thermokinesis: She can use this ability to stay warm in frigid environments. *Superhuman Strength: She can increase her strength. *Superhuman Durability: She can decrease her healing time. *Flight: She can fly. Her top speed is currently unknown, but she has gone over 500 mph. *Force Field: She can create a force field to protect herself and others around her. *Teleportation: Camilla is able to teleport herself and/or others to anywhere she desires. *Dimensional Travel: Camilla has the ability to bodily pass from one reality into another through an act of will. In some cases, she may have the freedom to travel to any location she desire. *Probability Manipulation: Camilla has the ability to affect the outcomes of different situations. The exact extent of this is currently unknown. *Magical Awareness: Camilla has supernatural sensitivity to occult activities and mystic phenomena. *Dispel: She possesses the ability to remove illusions and holographic images that her opponents have set up. *Telekinesis: Camilla can move objects with her mind. The exact extent of what she can do is unknown. *Elemental Conversion: She can form magical energy bolts with a high degree of potency and control and erecting energy shields or screens with a high degree of imperviousness to both physical and magical damage. *Regeneration: She can heal herself and others. It is not instantaneous and requires concentration on her part. Generally speaking when she is doing this, Camilla must be immobile. *Size Alteration: She can increase or decrease her overall volume to nearly any size she chooses. *Spectral Sight: She can see spiritual entities and travelers invisible to normal sight; she can perceive magical events at a great distance. *Elemental Transmutation: Camilla has the ability to rearrange atoms and molecules in both inorganic and organic matter. She can change an object’s or creature's shape. The exact extent of this is currently unknown. *Magical Manipulation: Camilla is capable of using all personal and universal magic *Extraction and Transportation of Souls: Camilla is able to extract and move souls from organic/inorganic structures to another organic/inorganic structure. In addition, she can attack her opponents by thrusting a soul at them. She only does this ability in dire situations. *Mystical Invulnerability: After casting this specific spell, she is safe from any offensive magic that comes her way or others. Abilities '''Prestidigitation': Camilla is skilled in stage magic, performing simple tricks and elaborate illusions. Martial Arts: Camilla has been personally trained by Isaiah Muir. She excels at defensive tactics, and has only started to get a good footing on offensive skills. She asked Isaiah to train her in that way particularly, since she uses her magic offensively before her fists or feet. Occultist: As The Chronicler of Magic she possesses an extensive understanding of Occult lore due to her Mystic Background. Improvisation: Camilla prepares specific spells (a couple of hundred) but improvises a good bit for the unpredictable situations she encounters. Multi-lingual: Camilla is able to speak English, Spanish, German, Latin and "Backwards Speech", fluently. Gymnastics: Years of gymnastics and dance have given her considerable skills in the field and she is an accomplished contortionist. She practices Yoga daily and is a Yoga master, using it often for meditative purposes. Weaknesses Higher-Level Magics: If the magic power-level of her opponent is higher than hers, then it would be extremely difficult for her to win a battle. In addition, it is difficult to impossible to affect a spell that was set in motion with higher-level magics. However, due to Camilla's sheer power, there are few people to whom she is subject to. Equipment Zatanna's Magic Wand: Camilla has in her possession the wand of the original Zatanna. The wand itself does not have any known powers, nor does it have anything to do with her ability to use magic. It is a symbol, if anything. Camilla uses it especially during her shows. Power Grid Trivia While she is close friends with Isaiah Muir, she is not aware that Isaiah is Batman. She does have her suspicions, however. Sometimes goes by the name Beatrice, a play off of Dante's Inferno. Camilla loves pancakes, as it is the last thing her mother ever made for her. Threads Current Threads People in Hell Want Ice Water Too.... Past Threads World Crisis II: Prelude Category: MirrodinCategory: Females (WH)Category: Batman FamilyCategory: Mirrodin (WoH)Category: Angelenos